Blair faces flak over terror laws

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British legislators have urged Tony Blair to dilute
anti-terrorism proposals on the eve of a vote that will test the
Prime Minister's authority over his Labour Party weeks ahead of an
expected May election.

Opponents say the proposals - under which ministers will have
powers to put suspects under house arrest without trial - violate
basic freedoms that have underpinned Britain's judicial system for
800 years.

They want judges, not politicians, to rule first on whether to
deprive suspects of their liberty.

About 30 Labour members opposed the bill last week and more
abstained, halving Mr Blair's large majority in Parliament's lower
house. That revolt may be repeated, embarrassing Mr Blair, unless
the Government agrees to greater judicial scrutiny.

But fierce opposition in the unelected upper chamber, the House
of Lords, where Labour lacks a majority, could also derail the bill
in coming days, preventing it from becoming law before the expected
election.

Despite that, Mr Blair shows little sign of giving judges the
first say on house arrest orders. That power must remain with the
Government to protect Britain from a "serious security threat", he
said.

Lord Strathclyde, leader of the opposition Conservative Party in
the Lords, said: "I don't think there is anybody alive in the world
today who believes that the bill . . . will pass through all its
stages in Parliament in its current fashion,"

"At the moment (the bill) is fundamentally flawed. It needs
substantial revision, major changes," he told ITV television.

The debacle has pushed national security up Britain's
pre-election agenda, prompting parallels with the United States,
where President George Bush's tough talk on terrorism last year
helped him win a second term.

Ministers have raised the spectre of a strike similar to the
2004 Madrid bombings on the eve of Spain's elections.

Opinion polls put Mr Blair on track to win a third term,
although some recent surveys have suggested Labour has lost ground
to the Conservatives in past weeks.

The Lords cannot reject legislation outright but they can delay
it.

Mr Blair wants the new laws in place by March 14, when the
present powers, under which 10 terrorism suspects are detained,
expire.

The suspects include Abu Qatada, a Syrian cleric who British
officials say was the spiritual inspiration for the leading
September 11 hijacker.

Opposition politicians predicted the Government would back down
and let judges make the first ruling on control orders.

But Home Secretary Charles Clarke defended the right to
"safeguard his ability to act to protect national security", a Home
Office spokesman said.